


The End.

by MiracoloDiGigi



Category: Football RPF
Genre: Angst, Comfort/Angst, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-14
Updated: 2017-11-14
Packaged: 2019-02-02 07:24:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12722187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiracoloDiGigi/pseuds/MiracoloDiGigi
Summary: Leo comforts Gigi at the end of the match.





	The End.

_ “I'm sorry, Gigi.” _

He hardly hears the words spoken in his ear. They hardly register in his mind. It was like everything around him was frozen, and all was silent, save for his racing heartbeat echoing in his ears. It was disorienting. 

Only it wasn't silent. There was cheering, whistling, shouting, crying… A wave of emotions had washed over the San Siro, but Gigi felt nothing, save for a dull ache in his chest. His eyes burned as though he was on the verge of tears, but he let none fall. 

_“Go to them,_ ” his mind insisted, _“you're still their Captain tonight… Take care of them.”_

And so he did. 

He hugged the referees, the technical staff, his teammates, murmuring apologies and thanks to each one of them as if robotically. It required little thought. He'd been in a situation like this before. Not failing to qualify for the _World Cup_ , of course, but a miserable, heart wrenching situation all the same. 

However, he was held up by one man. 

Bonucci kept his arms around him, tight and protective, as he usually was. It was comforting, but Gigi didn't really dwell on that. He needed to move onto the next person.  

_ “Gigi…”  _

His name was spoken once more following the prior apology, and this time he heard it. It snapped him out of his ‘trance.’

_“Hm?”_ A grunt to acknowledge him. 

_ “I'm sorry.”  _

It was a simple statement. 

And then Leo's arms tightened.

He didn't want to let himself go. He wanted to be the rock his teammates had always depended on. He wanted to care for them as a Captain should, as a _father_ should. He wanted to go to each one of them, hug them, reassure them… The way Ale did at Juve, the way Fabio did with the Azzurri… But, Leo's words had him frozen. 

The younger Italian _knew_. 

He knew Gigi wanted to keep the focus off of himself tonight. Thinking about this being his last game was inevitable. Thinking about this failure was inevitable. But, the problem was, no matter how much he insisted they all shared the blame, he would blame himself the most. Bonucci _knew_ that. 

He kept his hand against the back of Gigi's head, fingers lightly tangling in his dark locks while keeping their heads together as he embraced the elder Italian, who hugged back only slightly. 

But, the longer he remained, the longer Leo broke him down.

The numbness, the dull ache in his chest, soon began to change. It became this burning sensation, as though he was lacking air, as though sobs would wrack his body at any moment now, but he didn't want it. His eyes stung worse than before, but this time he couldn't keep the tears at bay. He couldn't do it any longer. 

He moved his other arm around Bonucci, engulfing him in a tight embrace, with one hand gripping the younger man's shoulder for dear life. He wouldn't let himself sob audibly, though. He was quiet. Leo could feel him shake, feel the sob wrack his body as he held on, but all that he heard were quiet sniffles as Gigi pressed his face against his own arm, and into Leo's neck.

Soft words of comfort were spoken, but they were falling upon deaf ears as Gigi held on. 

This was his last match with the Azzurri. His last match in the colours of the country he loved with all his heart, the country he had nothing but a burning passion and pride for. More than two decades over… Just like that. A simple whistle at the 90, and here he was. At the end of his journey. 

  
_ And what a journey it was.  _

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sorry.


End file.
